GMG Superintendent Chris Petersen smiles while standing just outside the Green Mountain Elementary main office this past March during what was his very first day in the district. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

When I first arrived in the Green Mountain-Garwin Community School District last March, it was clear to see the rich history and pride deeply rooted in everyone associated with GMG. Six months later, this Wolverine Pride is still evident, and I am fortunate to witness this pride and commitment every day.

It is with this pride that the GMG School District is holding a bond referendum election on Nov. 5, 2024, to address the aging and critical infrastructure needs of our 1925 portion of the High School. If you haven’t heard already, the Nov. 5 referendum election will present GMG voters with one question; to authorize general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $12,300,000 in order to build an addition on the middle/high school to replace the 1925 portion of the building.

As Superintendent, I have been asked the question of “Why do we need to replace the 1925 portion of the school?” The answer is that while the 1925 building has served our district very well for almost 100 years, it has many infrastructure needs that are simply too costly to address compared to replacing with a new addition of the same square footage. A facilities assessment of the 1925 building revealed that the plumbing, electrical, mechanical and security systems are all rated as in poor condition. To replace all these systems in accordance with current building codes would require extensive remodeling, so much so that we would lose educational space due to the requirements for meeting current ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Standards.

As a result, the proposal you will have the opportunity to vote on in November is to replace the 1925 building with a new 22,000 square foot structure attached to the end of our gymnasium. Please visit our website to see concept pictures and renderings of the proposed new structure.

To provide you with as much information about the upcoming Nov. 5 election, I would invite you to visit our dedicated bond referendum website at https://bit.ly/gmg-ref24. There you will find various informational pages like Why Now?, Tax Impact; Voting Info; Resources and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

Additionally, I would also like to invite you to one of the following Informational Sessions:

Bond 2024 Building Tour & Informational Event:

*Monday, Oct. 7, 2024

*6:30-8 p.m.

*Garwin Secondary School Lower Gym

Details: Come-and-go as it works into your schedule. Gallery-walk format with stations to get your questions answered. Tours included.

Bond 2024 Town Hall Meeting:

*Thursday, October 24, 2024

*7-8 p.m.

*Garwin Secondary School Lower Gym

Details: Presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Open forum questions and answers to follow.

Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions you may have. You can call me at 641.499.2005 or email me at cpetersen@gmgschools.org.

On behalf of our School Board and everyone at GMG, we are committed to providing clear and transparent information about the upcoming Nov. 5 referendum election. Our hope is that this information will allow you to learn more, make a voting plan and cast an informed vote.

Thank you for your continued support of our students, staff and school district!

Go Wolverines!